November 02, 2016
Greetings from beautiful Abilene TX!! We have had quite a full, fun month this September. In the words of A.W. Tozer "If you are bored with god, perhaps you are not following GOD."
We have had so much fun watching God unfold His mysterious plan which is in Christ Jesus Himself. We have NOT been bored!
This month we have hosted many friends, and events, one of which is our Restoring the Foundations Training Intensive. Earlier this month we had the honor of graduating a handful of students in Module 1: Issue Focused ministry. They were taught the foundational truths of God's heart and they learned how to minister to other students. It was amazing to see how they had changed in a matter of two weeks. If God could change the entire world, for all eternity, in a matter of three days, then imagine what He could do with open hearts for two weeks. We are learning here that just one moment in the presence of God, could change someone forever. One word, or one touch from God, by the Holy Spirit, can make all things new. He can infuse hope, life, and purpose in exchange for a whole life of depression, devastation, and hurt. We are now in Module 2 which is training specifically for Thorough Format ministry. This training will end in mid- November, so please continue to cover in prayer all receiving ministry, those ministering, as well as the trainers.
We also hosted different churches from Abilene for retreats and vision casting!! One of those churches being our home church, Beltway Park Baptist Church. They planned a retreat for the worship and AV teams from both Beltway campuses to rest, receive, and get refreshed. They brought in some dear friends from the International house of Prayer in Kansas City to help teach and pour into the worshipers from Beltway.
There is a rhythm we feel God is teaching us. Rest, run, release. We must know when to rest. We must slow down and take time for the ONE, Jesus. Without resting in Him, we have no vision, no strength to continue forward. In Hebrews 4:9-11 it says “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience -as those who hardened their hearts." Out of resting, we are equipped with the tools and strength needed to run the race that God has mapped out for us. If God has called us to be co-laborers with Him to accomplish the will of God on the earth as it is in Heaven, then He has provided all that we need for us to accomplish that very thing. But we must go to Him and abide.
Following Beltway, we hosted One Kingdom which is a group of Big Country pastors and leaders who are coming together to advance the Kingdom of God and to see Abilene and the Big Country transformed through unified prayer, authentic relationships, and intentional mission.
Birthed out of a conviction that God has an amazing plan for His church in this region, pastors have been gathering for prayer for nearly two decades. We believe that what God has in store is bigger than any one church of denomination. Therefore, we are coming together around our common faith in Jesus Christ asking for God's commanded blessing, convinced that we can accomplish more united than we can divided. This was a city- wide event for pastors, and city leaders to come be part of a day full of prayer, worship, and intercession on behalf of our city, and those in it. We prayed for our leaders, businesses, families, churches, schools, you name it. The Holy Spirit moved in power. Unity was created and passion was stirred for the great commission each person that attended. Total attendance was approximately 60-70 people total. It was a powerful day and we were/ are so thankful for the opportunity to have our facilities used for that purpose.
We are excited for what God is doing here in Abilene and in the world. We have had some amazing reports from our brothers and sisters about what God is doing in other places and we look forward to seeing God's will unfold. He is moving and He is releasing more and more every month.
Please continue to stay up to date via our Facebook page or our website. We are confident, and we are praying. We are expecting a harvest greater than what we have ever seen before.
